Mouthpieces for cigarettes



19.11.19, 1965 D. 'r. N. WILLIAMSON 3,166,079

MOUTHPIECES FOR CIGARETTES Filed April 11, 1953 FIG. 1.

W/o/A/AW/M 4 luvarv'l'or l quid T. \NI'HC'QMSON li wJim Ckiq wdlzvwwm A'rrornlsys United States Patent Office V 3,15%,979 Patented Jan. 19., 1965 3,166,079 MOUTHPIECES FOR CIGARETTES David Theodore Nelson Williamson, Deptford, London,

England, assignor to Molins Machine Company Lim- 1 Ciaim. (c1. 131-20 This invention concerns improvements in mouthpieces for cigarettes.

Mouthpiece cigarettes are known in which themouthpiece portion of a cigarette is composite in that it lncludcs two distinct components, which may be abutted endwise against each other or may be separated by a gap between their adjacent ends. In such a composite mouthpiece, the two components may be of a dilierent character, the inner one being selected, for example, for its filtering properties while the outer one, i.e. the one appearing at the extreme mouthpiece end of a cigarette, may be chosen for its appearance.

For convenience components of a composite mouthpiece will be referred to herein as stubs. It is to be understood, however, that these stubs may consist of any desired and suitable material, and, in a suitable case and where the context permits, a stub may consist of a short length of cigarette rod, i.e. tobacco enclosed in a paper or like tube, or many partly or wholly consist of a hollow tube.

The present invention is concerned with the production of composite mouthpiece portions comprising two stubs enclosed within a common wrapper and spaced apart from each other endwise so that a hollow space exists between their opposed ends, and also with the production of mouthpiece cigarettes having such composite mouthpiece portions.

According to the present invention there is provided a method of producing composite mouthpieces, comprising the steps of producing stubs each consisting of a core of material enclosed within a tube, displacing the core of such a stub lengthwise of the tube to form a recess at one end of the tube, placing a further stub in endwise abutment with the said tube at the end where it is'so recessed, and uniting the two abutted stubs by an encircling uniting band.

Two stubs whose ends have been recessed may be arranged with their recessed ends directed towards each other, the said further stub being placed between them and in abutment with the tubes of both stubs where they are recessed, and the three stubs so arranged being placed between the ends of two cigarette lengths, the stubs and cigarette lengths then being united by an encircling uniting band which covers the stubs and part of the end portions of the two cigarette lengths. In such an arrangement the said further stub should be of a suitable length to enable the whole assemblage to be subdivided into two individual mouthpiece cigarettes by cutting through the said further, central, stub.

A method in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows in section a length of stub rod consisting of a core of stub material enclosed in a tube,

FIGURE 2 shows a stub cut from the rod shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 shows the stub shown in FIGURE 2, with its core displaced lengthwise,

FIGURE 4 shows a group consisting of two stubs such as shown in FIGURE 3, with a further stub between them, and

FIGURE 5 shows the group shown in FIGURE3, positioned between and united with two cigarette lengths.

A continuous stub rod is produced by enclosing suitable stub material 1 (which may for example be the material known under the registered trademark I Estron) in a tubular wrapper 2 of stiff paper, cardboard, or the like. This rod is cut at intervals such as indicated in FIGURE 1 by the lines A-A, resulting in the production of stubs such as the one shown in FIGURE 2 and marked S.

The tube 2 is formed about the core 1 so that the core is a close enough fit within the tube to prevent undesired movement, but can be moved lengthwise along the tube,

for example by a suitable plunger 3, FIGURE 2. The outer cylindrical surface of the tube 2 is gripped in any convenient way while the plunger 3 is pressed against the core and moves it lengthwise a short'distance, for example 1 mm, relatively to the tube, and is then withdrawn. This operation results in the stub S having a recessed portion at one end, as shown in FIGURE 3, while at the other end the core 1 protrudes slightly from the tube 2.

Two of these stubs S are then arranged in lengthwise alignment but with their recessed ends facing each other,

and spaced apart so as to enable a further stub, S to be placed between them as shown in FIGURE 4. The three stubs are closed up endwise, by any suitable means, so as to bring the central stub S into endwise abutment with the tubes 2. where they are recessed, so that the assembled group, while in contact at their circumferential edges, have spaces between the cores 1 and the central stub S while the cores 1 protrude slightly at opposite ends of the group.

This group of stubs is then arranged between the ends of two cigarette lengths C as shown in FIGURES. The

assemblage thus formed is united by an encircling uniting band 4 which is coated with adhesive and which covers all three stubs and also overlaps the end portions of the cigarette lengths C for a short distance.

This assemblage is then subdivided by cutting through the central stub S as indicated in FIGURE 5, and two mouthpiece cigarettes are thus produced.

As can be seen from FIGURE 5, due to the difference in diameters of the tube 2 and the core 1, there is, in the completed mouthpiece cigarette, slight discontinuity between the outer surface of the tube'Z and that of the cigarette length, assuming that the protruding part of the core 1 does not expand but retains its original cross-sectional size. In such a case the uniting band may not be supthe core 1. However, since the band is secured to the tube 2 and to the cigarette length, and as the protruding part of the core is butted against the end face of the cigarette length, the part of the band overlying the protruding core is in tension, and lack of support and adhesion at that section does not result in any significant weakness there.

In an alternative method according to theinvention, the core 1 may consist of a suitable material of a nature such that it can be compressed slightly and remain sufliciently air-pervious for its purpose, and in that case the core may, instead of being displaced as a whole relatively to the tube, be pressed inwardly so as to provide a recess at one end of the tube while at the other end the core is prevented from moving out of the tube. In that case, there can be complete abutment between the cigarette length and the whole of the stub S.

It will be understood that the group of three stubs such as shown in FIGURE 4 (or modified in the manner just described) could if desired be united as a group by an encircling band before being assembled with a pair of cigarettes, since in sornecircumstances this might be found more convenient in manufacture. In that case, the united composite mouthpiece portion could be joined to two cigarette lengths by a further band encircling the whole 3 mouthpiece'oportion and overlapping the cigarette lengths, or alternatively by two relatively narrow bands wrapped around the cigarette lengths and the mouthpiece portion at the two regions where they adjoin.

, What I claim-as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A method of producing composite mouthpieces, comprising the step of producing stubs each consisting of a core of material enclosed within a tube, displacing the core of each such stub lengthwise of the/tube to form a recess at one end of the tube,.arranging two such stubs with their recessed ends directed toward each other, placing a further stub, ofthe same diameter. as that of the said two stubs between the two said stubs in endwise abutment with the tubes of both the said two stubs where the latter are recessed, thereby forming a composite stub unit, placing the said stub unit between the ends of two cigarette lengths both of which have the same diameter as that of the stub unit, the only contact between the stub unit and the cigarette lengths being abutting contact between end faces thereof, uniting the unit and the cigarette lengths by an encircling band which forms a tubular cover for the stub unit and part of the end portions of the two cigarette lengths and which is the sole means of joining the stub unit to the cigarette lengths, the inside diameter of the said tubular cover being equal throughout to the outside diameter of the stub unit and cigarette lengths, and subdividing the assemblage so formed by cutting through the central stub of the stub unit.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,010,457 11/61 Schubert 131-10 I FOREIGN PATENTS 22,093 10/61 Germany. v

ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner.

. MELVIN'D. RE IN, Examiner. 

